Teaching German

News

Rebel military forces reach agreement with Ivory Coast government after flaring up tensions

Soldiers had cut off access to several cities in Ivory Coast to push through their demands in negotiation with the government. Gunshots were heard in several parts of the country, raising alarm about a return to unrest.

Ivory Coast fell back into crisis after mutinying soldiers sealed off the country's second-largest city, Bouake. This came as senior government and rebel military officials inside the city continued to work on bringing peace back to the West African nation, which was rocked by a major army revolt at the beginning of January. A final deal may now have been reached according to one of the mutineer negotiators; however, pressure from mutiny soldiers may likely have contributed to speeding up the process.

A soldier loyal to the mutiny group said the main access roads leading to Bouake had been seized and would remain under rebel military control until an agreement to end the political crisis between the government and the rebel military members was reached. The Associated Press news agency reported that hundreds of soldiers had converged on the home of a local official in Bouake, where the negotiations were taking place. They were reportedly seen firing their weapons into the air near the residence while the government delegation led by Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi was meeting with representatives of the rebel soldiers who had started the revolt last week.

Meanwhile the Reuters news agency reported that soldiers had also seized access roads leading into the city of Korhogo in the north of the country. The developments put pressure on the government, hinting at a relaunch of last week's military mutiny if their demands were not met.

Shooting was reportedly also heard late on Friday from inside the main military camp in the country's economic hub, Abidjan, coinciding with the disruption to the talks in Bouake, raising fears that Africa's fastest-growing economy could fall into a permanent state of unrest.

"There were shots, bursts of gunfire coming from the barracks. It stopped and started again," Mathilde Kouadio, a teacher living nearby the barracks at Abidjan's Cocody district, told Agence France Presse.

Deal or no deal?

With military activity flaring up simultaneously in several cities, many feared a return to chaos - including government officials. President Alassane Ouattara had announced that a deal had been already reached between the government and the military on January 7, meeting at least some of the soldiers' demands, which include higher pay, faster promotions and improved living conditions, in addition to making good on unpaid bonuses.

It was unclear, however, whether all soldiers had agreed to the deal and which of the demands the agreement may have failed to address, as details were withheld from the public. A soldier who chose to remain anonymous told The Associated Press that a key sticking point was unpaid bonuses to the tune of $20,000 (19,000 euros) in many cases.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Terror hits coastal town

Islamist militants killed 19 people in the coastal town of Grand Bassam in the Ivory Coast in March but it was not the first terror attack of 2016. In January, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) raided a hotel in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou and killed dozens. Just a few weeks earlier, there had been a kidnapping with fatalities in Bamako, Mali. Terrorism had come to West Africa.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Life sentence for Chadian ex-dictator

Hisswene Habre was given life imprisonment for war crimes. An estimated 40,000 people were killed during the eight years of his despotic rule in Chad beginning in 1982. The judgment was handed down by a purely African special tribunal in Senegal, installed at the initiative of the African Union. Senegal did not want to extradite Habre to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Justice for Mali's battered cultural heritage

The Sidi Yahya mosque in Timbuktu was reopened on September 19. Six years ago, Islamist militants had razed it to the ground. It took five months just to restore the doors. In a historic decision, the ICC gave Ahmad Al Mahdi, a member of Ansar Dine, a Tuareg Islamic extremist militia in North Africa, a nine year jail term for the destruction of the UNESCO-listed cultural heritage site.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Unpopular criminal court

Despite the highly regarded cultural heritage conviction, the ICC's opponents became increasingly vocal in Africa in 2016. They said the court was treating Africa unfairly and ignoring cases elsewhere in the world. Burundi, Gambia and South Africa announced their withdrawal from the ICC. Critics allege that these countries are trying to shield their controversial rulers.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Arms crossed for a better life

At the Rio Olympics, Ethiopian marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa crossed the finish line in second place with his arms crossed high above his head in protest at his country's autocratic regime and its repression of the Oromo ethnic group. In Bishoftu in October, protesters doing the same gesture provoked soldiers into opening fire, causing a stampede that killed over 50 people.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Hope for Nigeria's Chibok girls

After two and a half years of nagging uncertainty, the parents of 21 of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls were reunited with their daughters in October. Their release had been negotiated with Boko Haram. But ten times as many girls are still in captivity and Boko Haram continues to terrorize parts of northern Nigeria and the border regions of neighboring countries.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

#ThisFlag: Protesting pastor in Zimbabwe

With his #ThisFlag campaign, Pastor Evans Mawarire goaded Zimbabweans into action. "The green in our flag stands for our harvest. But I can't see any of it," he said in a video on social media. Thousands joined his protests against economic mismanagement and waste under longtime President Robert Mugabe. In July, they brought Harare to a standstill and more protests are planned.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Protests and no election in DR Congo

Opposition and civil society took to the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo to protest President Joseph Kabila. They had wanted to make use of their constitutional right to elect a new president in 2016. But Kabila refused to relinquish power after his second term ended in December. Negotiations to solve the impasse are ongoing.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

End of the road for South Africa's president?

It has been a bad year for President Jacob Zuma. A report by anti-corruption Commissioner Thuli Madonsela showed that the wealthy Gupta business clan wielded massive influence over his presidency. South Africans were also angry when they heard that taxpayers' money had been spent on Zuma's private residence. He was unmoved by the uproar, surviving a parliamentary motion of no-confidence.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Tragedy and fiscal woes in Mozambique

A fuel truck exploded in Mozambique's Tete Province killing more than 70 people. The accident occurred while petrol was being siphoned out of the tanker illegally. It was tragically symbolic of the dilapidated state of a country which has been practically bankrupted by corruption. Mozambique also witnessed skirmishes between army and opposition rebels while facing an unresolved government crisis.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Gambia's miracle or Gambia's nightmare

In a surprise, almost miraculous election victory, opposition candidate Adama Barrow was chosen as Gambia's new president to succeed autocrat Yahya Jammeh, who was in power for 22 years. The second surprise was that Jammeh conceded defeat only to do a U-turn weeks later and declare that he was the legitimate winner of the poll. The electoral crisis is ongoing.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Elections: Ghana leads the way

Once again, Ghana has shown itself to be a model African democracy. Opposition candidate Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential elections in December in his third attempt at the office. Incumbent John Mahama congratulated him on his victory and conceded defeat. Voters withheld their support for him because of poor economic growth, a chronic energy crisis and high unemployment.

Year in Review: The stories that moved Africa in 2016

Farewell to Congo rumba king Papa Wemba

There have been many rumors of Papa Wemba's demise in the past. But this time there was no room for doubt. The 66-year-old singer and king of Congolese rumba died after collapsing on stage in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Many mourned the loss of a singer who gave Congo a new status in the musical world. He said he didn't make Congolese or African music but 'simply music.'